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Harley-Davidson Back From The Lost Years After Restructuring

Todd Halterman — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:47:08 +0000

A few short years ago, the prognosis was looking grim for America’s iconic motorcycle manufacturer, Harley-Davidson.

With a history of posting annual sales losses piling up, the recession hit the Milwaukee company hard and forced it to sell off its holdings in MV Agusta closing down the Buell Motorcycle line in order to keep its core business unit operating.

But in the second fiscal quarter of 2011, Harley-Davidson posted its first year-to-date growth since 2006, and the Motor Company brand continued that trend throughout the rest of the year and finished the last quarter of 2011 with sales up 10.9% worldwide (11.8% in the US) over the previous year, Harley-Davidson finished the year strong with sales up 5.9% worldwide and sales in the United States up a similar 5.8% for units sold.

The total unit volume of 235,188 bikes being sold worldwide broke down to 151,683 units sold in the US and 83,505 units sold internationally, and during Q4 2011, Harley-Davidson sold 40,359 units worldwide while 23,753 of those units were sold to US buyers. Sales were also solid outside the US with 16,606 units sold internationally in Q4 2011. That represents an uptick of 9.7% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Those solid sales numbers meant Harley-Davidson posted some some gains on the bottom line in the bargain. Though they took a $46.7 million loss in net income for Q4 of 2010, Harley-Davidson reported a positive net income of $105.6 million and it was that increase which helped Harley-Davidson quadruple its net income for 2011, as the Motor Company brand made $599.1 million in net income. No small change, that, as compared to the $146.5 million in net income the company made in 2010.

Totaling $4.6 billion in revenue for 2011 (11.6% over the $4.1 billion it hauled in for 2010) Harley-Davidson performance can be attributed partially to dramatic sales increases domestically and abroad, but the real lynchpin of the numbers was the fact that the company saved several hundred million dollars in expenses due to a comprehensive restructuring effort which pushed Harley back to consistent profitability.

The expectations? That Harley-Davidson expects to ship 240,000 to 245,000 bikes worldwide in 2012, and that would be a 3% – 5% increase over last year. For Q1 of 2012, Harley-Davidson expects to ship 58,000 to 63,000 bikes to dealers worldwide to open the year.

It might just be better than that if a couple of new models keep the revival moving forward.

The two new motorcycle models, the Seventy-Two and the Softail Slim, were inspired by what the company thinks is a move by buyers toward favoring a “garage-built” custom motorcycle look. They should be available immediately at authorized Harley-Davidson dealers.

The Harley-Davidson Seventy-Two

Based on the Harley-Davidson Sportster, the Seventy-Two will feature a sparkling, metal flake color option, a solo seat and side-mount license plate bracket, a bobbed rear fender and the whole beast will be moved along by the Evolution 1200 cc V-Twin powertrain finished in gray powdercoat with chrome covers and a new round air cleaner with a dished cover. Also in the mix, a Sportster 2.1-gallon fuel tank, narrow white wall tires, chrome laced wheels, and high mini-ape handlebars. The whole thing is supposed to look like the chopper customs of the 1970s.

Harley-Davidson Softail Slim

This is Harley-Davidson’s attempt to pare a Softtail chassis down to essential elements along the lines of the custom bobbers of the 1950s. Featuring a trimmed-down front fender and a narrow rear end, a solo seat and very little chrome. Hollywood handlebars and a headlight nacelle are finished in gloss black, a period “cat’s eye” tank console, half-moon rider footboards, and gloss black wheel rims and hubs complete the hot rod look. Harley’s 1690 cc Twin Cam 103B powertrain will sport polished covers instead of chrome, and the the Softail chassis is set up to ape the clean lines of a vintage hardtail frame. They kept the rear suspension control which is provided by coil-over shock absorbers mounted horizontally and out of sight within the frame. A 23.8-inch seat height and rider foot boards make this bike ideal for a wider range of riders large and small.

Damn Bike Will Not Start! Here’s Why…

Todd Halterman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:11:38 +0000

It’s brutal.

You sling a leg over your bike, reach down for the key, push the starter or give it a kick and…no bueno, she does not start!

There’s only one way to know why a bike won’t start, and the process begins with knowing how an engine operates. It also doesn’t hurt to know some of the history of the machine in question.

From there, it’s all trial and error which involves running down the list of possible scenarios putting your theories to the test.

Step one in your personal diagnostic checklist is to review the history of the bike.

How long did the bike sit idle? Was it a runner before it was parked? Did it start and run just fine yesterday and crap out today?
Have you done any recent repairs, added some custom parts, messed with the electrical system?
Has the bike been laid down in a parking lot recently? Taken a detour through a farmer’s field? Been dipped in a local lake?
Did you notice any strange sounds shortly before the problem happened?
What’s the weather like outside? Wet? Cold? Incredibly hot and humid?
Did you fill it up out of a gas can at someone’s garage? Leave it unattended overnight in a bar parking lot while you slept on the pool table inside?

All of these could factor into your thinking, so you have to eliminate the least likely possibilities and focus on the ideas which are the most likely – it’s Occam’s Razor, and can use that kind of thinking to cut through the crap and find a solution to the problem.

If the bike sat idle for a long time, start with that in mind. It started and ran fine when you put it away, but it sure doesn’t now, and that’s telling stuff. The odds are that it doesn’t have any serious mechanical problems. Electrical issues, same deal here, unless someone took their pocket knife to the wiring, not much can go wrong with electrical systems that won’t display telltale signs. Pull the plug wires, lay the plug against the jugs, and check for a spark just to make sure. No spark? No fuego.

What’s left? Bad fuel, my friend. Bad fuel in the tank and carb is the cause of the vast majority of no-start problems. Water in the lines. Clogged fuel filter. Fuel systems have the highest likelihood of failure, and that makes the fuel system a good place to begin your investigation.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking about compression or tearing down your top end to fix a problem caused by a dirty carburetor. Since there are really only three things that make an engine fire – fuel, spark and compression – make sure all those systems are go before you look for a more complicated solution.

Occam’s Razor? It’s your pal, follow the principle.

Fuel Issues

Start by making certain the carburetor is getting fuel. Pop open the overflow at the bottom of the float bowl, and if you have a handful of gasoline, you know you have fuel making to the carb. And look for simple things like checking to see if the petcock is in the open or reserve position. No fuel, you might be facing a bad needle or a seat stuck in the closed position. Rap the side of the float bowls and it might come unstuck before you tear down the carb entirely.

If you do have fuel to the carburetor, and still no start, clear out all the fuel in the tank and lines and try to start and run the bike with the choke on. If the engine conks when you turn the choke off, you’ve got a bad pilot jet and a rebuild kit is in your future.

Got Spark?

Pull a plug out, leave it in the cap attached to the plugwire, and ground the threads to something ferrous and metallic – aluminum parts won’t do the trick, pard. Kick the motor over or hit the switch and if you don’t see a bright blue spark, a decent 1/4″ gap, and a clean ceramic, you found your problem. If the spark plug fouled and coated with oil or gas, move on to test your coil. If the coil is giving you some output, you’re into something heavier like a pickup coil or a bad CDI box. If you think the CDI box is bad, don’t even bother to try and test it, just find a new one and install it. They don’t come cheap, so check every other possibility before you take that kind of step.

Bad switch? Could be. Test it by unplugging it and looping the connection to make it hot and check for spark again.

No Compression

Pull your spark plug and hook up a compression test gauge. Open the throttle and kick the motor until the dial stops moving, and if you have anything over 100psi, you’re probably good to go here. If you have no compression or a very low PSI reading, you have problems with your piston and rings, and it’s time for a top end rebuild.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that, though modern engines are considerably more complicated than old-school twins, what makes a motor run ain’t rocket science. Fuel. Spark. Compression.

Scott McCrorie of Long Beach, California demonstrates how he kick starts his custom 1939 Harley-Davidson ULH:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Insuring your collectible or vintage motorcycle

As for insurance for your collectible motorcycle? You should be able to get Agreed Value coverage on a classic 1959 BSA Gold Star Catalina valued at $15,000 for somewhere around $25 a month, and that gives you the whole shooting match of coverage.

You can spend a lot less, but if you plan to ride the bikes in your collection, the above pricing is a reasonable approximation of what you can expect to pay.

Kawasaki Competes By Pushing the Social Media Agenda

Todd Halterman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:41:44 +0000

It seems that if you’re doing any kind of business these days (or just bullshooting with your pals), you already know about the phenomenon of social media. Everyone has to have a Facebook page, a Twitter account and a Tumblr page. Motorcycles have a built in appeal, but they don’t sell themselves in a marketplace packed with old-line competitors like Yamaha, Suzuki, KTM and Honda.

So how did Kawasaki, a little fish in the shark tank of motorcycle builders, carve out a respectable niche among those titans of industry?

Back in 1960, Kawasaki signed an agreement to take over Meguro motorcycles, at the time a major player in the burgeoning Japanese motorcycle manufacturing business. Meguro was one of the only Japanese companies making a 500cc motorcycle at that point, and in England and the UK, Meguro’s 500 (a direct knockoff of the BSA A7) was universally hammered for being a cheap copy of that classic British machine. It was, in fact, not a bad motorcycle and it was the genesis of the Kawasaki brand. A year later, Kawasaki had produced its first motorcycle, the B8 125cc two-stroke, and in the following year, the company rolled out a series of the two-stroke models ranging from 50-250cc. It was the 250cc disc-valve ‘Samurai’ model that first caught the eye of US buyers, and by 1966, Kawasaki had developed the 650W1 which took its inspiration from the much-loved BSA A10.

Building solid bikes made Kawasaki a player, they stay in the game with savvy social media skills…

So much for the history, but how did Kawasaki manage to remain competitive against larger rivals in the motorcycle game. The KZ 900 superbike kept them on the map, but according to one theory, though I’m more inclined to think it’s simply because they managed to build a better mousetrap, they did it with their social media prowess.

In this episode of Behind the Brand, Kawasaki’s chief marketing stud, Chris Brull, gives you some insight on how Kawasaki take on the challenge of getting the word out to customers.

According to Brull, his team uses social media to monitor their brand, the industry in general and to take the pulse of digital media and how it affects the business world overall.

Brull says Kawasaki uses social media to revitalize traditional marketing techniques like in-person product demos and they use mobile technology to be accessible to customers twenty-four-seven.

Top 10 Motorcycle Road Trips to Take this Spring

MotorcycleInsurance.com Staff — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:42:43 +0000

Life: it’s all about the twists and turns.

And for a motorcyclist, speed, the alluring curvature of a winding road, a killer bike, and some choice leather are likely more important than all the money in the world. For those with the fire of the road within them, taking a long lusted after road trip brings about a certain, specific liberation and the wind in their hair.

Whether you’ve surrendered your life to the call of the pavement, or you’re just a newbie trying to be a badass, these 10 road trips will help you decide where to grip the road on those ever-enticing steel-cut death machines.

Rocky Ramblers Ride
Best for novice riders, or for those in pursuit of an unparalleled view, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is the true highlight of this road trip. Begin your journey in Estes Park, Colorado. Stop for breakfast in Steamboat Springs, and make your way through Durango and Aspen, soaking in the beauty of a mountain pass. If you’re there for more than the mountains, be sure to take in some of the local culture in Denver, one of the cooler (and colder!) cities in America.
Rocky Ramblers Ride Redux
If you have a penchant for cold weather and wide open spaces, try the Rocky Ride Redux. This road trip builds on the previous, but extends through the Northwestern United States and into Canada, and then on to Alaska. Although you’ll probably be freezing this spring, you’ll experience the engrossing solitude of riding through primarily undeveloped areas, as well as some travel outside of the lower 48. Be honest: you know you’re planning to spook some professional sled dogs while popping a wheelie on a glacier. Better hurry before they melt! Just make sure that when in Alaska, you avoid the Bridge to Nowhere. You might find yourself in Narnia or something — and they don’t have the right gas stations.
The Motorcycle Diaries
Here’s how this one works: Buy a beret that’s too small for your head to be considered in any way French. Start in Buenos Aires. Spout Marxist revolutionary epithets. Take a friend. Write a book. Change the world. Become a hipster T-shirt icon of the future.
Dessert Sessions
Avoid the summer’s Burning Man crowd, and speed your Bonneville elsewhere than Black Rock City in the spring. While flowers are budding everywhere else in the U.S., find yourself in the desert of the American West. New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada all have great expanses for avid bikers, and the heart of the motorcyclist’s spirit rests in the playa dust. A great road trip for the beatnik biker, have your own Fear and Loathing moment when you pack up a saddlebag full of your drugs of choice (legal ones, of course). Make sure to bring a journal, so you seem a teensy bit more legit.
Davvero, Ducati?
Challenge yourself to new heights! Well, maybe not heights, but you will have to deal with a different language, crazy road signs, and an unfamiliar set of laws. For a medium difficulty road trip, hop on a Ducati and bid Italy a bawdy buongiorno. Whether a speed demon or a languid traveler, Italy has it all. For a weekend (or longer) stop-off, enjoy the astounding arts scene in Florence. Tour through the rest of Tuscany in the spring for the beginning of the sunflower season. Ride in Lake Como (a little-known stop for avid motorcyclists) and elect to skip Rome. Because all roads lead to there, it’s a bit difficult to ride on ‘em.
Botswana by BMW
A great place to take a BMW bike, start out your African tour in Botswana. Africa has long been a haven for bikers on a pilgrimage, wanting to see big game and big sights. You won’t want to miss Victoria Falls (best accessed on the Zimbabwe side), one of the seven wonders of the world and arguably the most beautiful place on the planet. Try a tour along the entire South Coast of Africa, and be sure to log some time in Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and Zambia — all historically life-changing destinations for big, bad bikers.
The Lewis and Clark
It’s totally possible to recreate the Lewis and Clark Expedition in its entirety. And it’s even cooler to do it with motorcycles instead of coon-skin caps and a secret order from Thomas Jefferson to explore the American West. (OK, maybe not.) More for the history buff than the buff biker, this is a great road trip for either a beginning motorcyclist or beginning professor.
Moto Guzzi Euro Sex Tour 5000
If you’re a true bike fan, you love the Italian cafe cycles. The Moto Guzzi is first of these in design, handling, and structural efficiency. When taking a road trip on this little number, you’ll definitely want to dress really metro and enjoy some spring fever in Europe. Your best bet here is a tour through anywhere in Western Europe, as long as it involves some little cities and a lot of romance.
Royal Enfield Asia
You’ve got to be careful about motorcycle laws in China, India, Bhutan, and Nepal — but if you do your homework, you’ll be in for the time of your life. The best bike to ride around these countries is the Royal Enfield Classic, and, while tours are fairly common, you’d be better off learning how to get along and navigate these countries on your own. Not only will you have a sweet bike to glide through exotic and beautiful places both urban and rural, but you’re also in for the treat of your life when mingling with the amazing locals and learning to gratefully (and gracefully) inhale other cultures.
The Lizard of Oz
It’s a land of barbecues, bushpeople, and bikers. A favorite destination of traveling Westerners, Australia and New Zealand are also a magnet for the advanced motorcyclist. Kilometers upon kilometers of sharp turns and motorcycle-specific warnings, there’s nothing more dangerous and electrifying than the thought of a few days in the outback, then a relaxed few days on the coast. Where else can you see whales while you wheel? With a genuinely sweet populace, and an even sweeter pub scene, there’s really no place like Oz.

The Motorcycle Suspension Quick Reference Guide

Todd Halterman — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:54:38 +0000

There’s one critical element that keeps you heading in your intended direction on your motorcycle – the suspension.

What your motorcycle’s suspension is supposed to do is pretty simple stuff. It’s meant to absorb shock from bumps and potholes in the road or ruts out in the wild, keep the tires in contact with the road surface and maintain as close as is possible the overall geometry built into the chassis of your bike while all that’s happening.

So on to some basic terms which are used to explain how a motorcycle suspension does its business.

SPRING RATE is the amount of force (or weight) necessary to deflect (or compress) a spring a given distance. This value is generally expressed as lb/in (pounds per inch). If a force of 300lbs is applied to a spring and it compresses 3 inches, that spring can be said to have a 100lb/in “spring rate.”

TRAVEL is the distance the center of a wheel can move from full extension to full compression of the suspension components.

STATIC PRELOAD is the amount a spring is compressed while it supports the chassis when the machine is at rest.

SAG is the amount (distance in mm) the front or rear suspension moves when the bike is in an unweighted state.

LOADED SAG is the amount (distance in mm) the suspension can travel as a rider sits on a bike.

COMPRESSION DAMPING refers to the speed at which a spring can be compressed when a sudden shock is applied to the suspension components.

REBOUND DAMPING refers to the speed at which a spring extends following a shock to the suspension.

RIDE HEIGHT is the distance between the rear wheel axle and a fixed point on the chassis above, generally measured at the top of the seat position.

FORK HEIGHT refers to the amount the tops of the fork legs protrude through the top yoke or triple tree clamp.

STEERING HEAD ANGLE refers to the angle to which the steering head axis deviates from vertical. This number is larger for chopper style bikes, smaller for standard setups and is measured in degrees and often referred to as “rake.”

TIRE PRESSURE can either mask or exaggerate what could be mistaken for suspension problems. If a rear tire is under-inflated you will certainly feel that the back end of your motorcycle squirms when you lean the bike hard over and then again when you apply power on the exit of a corner.

This condition is also present with too soft a spring or not enough compression damping, but an under-inflated rear tire will often mimic some of the feel characteristics of a badly set-up suspension. Before you start tinkering with your suspension setup, make sure you use an accurate tire pressure gauge to inflate (or deflate) your tires to reach the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. It’s pretty easy to find, just read the recommendation on the side of the tires.

An old-school Amen Savior style rear plunger frame suspension

Via: MotocrossGear.com

Additional Reading:

Motorcycle Mechanics Institute,The Complete Guide to Motorcycle Mechanics, 1984 Prentice-Hall, Inc., ISBN 0-13-160549-6
Motorcycle Mechanics Institute,The Complete Guide to Motorcycle Mechanics, 1984, Prentice-Hall, Inc., ISBN 0-13-160549-6
Wilson, H. The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle Dorling-Kindersley Limited, 1995 ISBN 0 7513 0206 6
Wilson, H. The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle Dorling-Kindersley Limited, 1995 ISBN 0 7513 0206 6
Wilson, H. The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle Dorling-Kindersley Limited, 1995 ISBN 0 7513 0206 6
Motorcycle Mechanics Institute,The Complete Guide to Motorcycle Mechanics, 1984,Prentice-Hall, Inc., ISBN 0-13-160549-6
Motorcycle Mechanics Institute,The Complete Guide to Motorcycle Mechanics, 1984, Prentice-Hall, Inc., ISBN 0-13-160549-6

Whether you ride a sport bike or an American cruiser, you need to make sure your insurance coverage fits your style of riding and the bike you do your riding on.

We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you ride…

Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:

Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
Towing / Pickup
Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.

A Saudi Arabian Custom Motorcycle Gem – The Firestarter

Todd Halterman — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:50:47 +0000

I like the idea that bike people modify machines to fit their tastes and needs.

While I don’t have a problem with folks riding a stock machine, there’s just something about seeing a bike someone has lovingly mangled and managed with their own two hands that pulls me in to the story line.

It’s one thing to see that kind of stuff happening in the home of the custom motorcycle culture – the Good Ole US of A – it’s another entirely to read about someone who’s done the custom deed to their bike in a society where such “antisocial” activity is a little more rare.

Case in point, this machine, The Firestarter from “Mountain Ram” in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

When Ram sent me the photos of what was once a bone-stock Harley XL883 Sporty, I was digging it, but when I looked at the background of the photos, I saw something I found more interesting – some native plants and architecture that didn’t look California, Texas or Florida to me.

And I was right on that score, so I asked a few questions to get to the heart of the matter.

First, I wanted to know if there were more in “production,” and the answer was “there are no more like it on the lift, because there was never a lift to begin with. This is a humble ‘garden garage’ build just at the entrance of our building.”

And Ram offered some other details about his build as well.
“‘Firestarter’ is my first custom project, based on a brand new 2008 HD Sportster XL883R,” he wrote. “I – along with my brother – make up a visionary joint more than a full-fledged garage and workshop. The way it all started was through an article featured in another custom-enthusiast magazine (Hot Bike) on a $1,000 budget built custom. Visions in my mind toggled back and forth between bobber, chopper, or cafe racer. This ‘virtual’ designing and scheming in my mind took quite a while, before it finally reached the vision of the finished bike. That vision kept flashing back in my mind, until it was anchored there; unchanged, unaltered. That’s when I knew that this is the design I was set on, and that I had to start implementing it.”

So there you have it. Why build a custom bike? Because if you have the Jones, there’s no other option.

What got Ram going on the idea of a custom bike build? The same set of parameters that got most of us hooked.

“I was infatuated with the hot rod and rat rod cultures, and wanted (this bike) to be the opposite of everything the Nightster was,” he said. “If the latter had dragbars and was slammed down low front and rear, I wanted the R to have a taller front end with high apes. The Nightster was clean and refined, and I wanted the Firestarter to be ratty, raw, and unfinished. Rock’n'Roll played an important part in influencing – let’s say – the attitude of the bike. To me, nothing spelled in-your-face rebel recklessness more than The Prodigy’s Firestarter song. Frontman Keith Flint’s punky attitude in that video was what I wanted my ride to be.”

So there you have it, the classic formula. Outlaw feel, rock and roll attitude; something bordering on pure anarchy in the UAR.

So how did Ram select the details which went into creating his vision of a Sporty where the factory look was left far, far behind?

“I refused the fairing made specifically for the Sportster and some Dyna models offered by Harley Davidson, and I was obstinate in wanting a Nightrod fairing, due to its slimmer, more streamlined profile,” Ram says. “For the paint scheme, I wanted a scheme that came from Black Label Society guitarist and vocalist Zakk Wylde’s infamous guitar with the swirl, so that’s where I went with the colors.”

Some of the other selections, like customizing a dropdown bracket to lower the ChopperShox mini shocks and seatpan about 1″, fabricating a bracket to hold the Nightrod’s headlight fairing; chopping, modifying, reshaping and louvering the rear fender and cranking out a custom made sissy bar which completes the chunky look, were pure Ram. Some bits, like a No School Choppers 40X taillight, required custom modification to fit properly without hitting the Biltwell 10″ rigid struts, ignition hop-ups, one-off custom modified mufflers and a custom Chopper Dave x66 air cleaner and SE neck assembly put the icing on the cake.

The shifting is handled jockey-style using a pistol grip Hurst and a LaBriola foot clutch. Does it get any hot rodder than that?

So what’s up next to take a slot on the lawn in front of Ram’s house in Jeddah?

“A cafe racer project is simmering in my mind; the final installment to my Sportster trilogy, and then maybe I move to what will probably be my first ground-up build, hopefully to be entered in the AMD custom bike world championship of…. 2015, to be realistic,” he said.

We Have A Winner In the Empire Covers Motorcycle Cover Contest

Todd Halterman — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:49:29 +0000

What, did you think we weren’t for real?

Well, we are, and we’ve gone and done the deed. The winner of the Free Motorcycle Cover Contest is…drumroll please, Doctor:

Nick Barrett!

And there it was, something for nothing, my friends. My lovely wife selected the winner via her own secret methodology (which, without giving away all the secrets, involved her finger and a hastily-fashioned blindfold).

So Nick, enjoy the cover…and do the right thing and send us a photo of your bike under the cover once it’s delivered.

So even though you didn’t win, you might want to go to our Facebook page, our Twitter thingy (@ToddHalterman) and give us a little likey-or-RT-love. I mean, after all, it’s surely not our last awesome giveaway and you might prevail in the next contest.

So why did we do this thing we do? Because if you dig motorcycles, we dig you…

How the Honda CB 750 Changed the Motorcycle Manufacturing Game

Todd Halterman — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:19:14 +0000

Though now highly prized for their potential as re-imagined cafe racer machines, the venerable Honda CB 750 was – back in its infancy – the bike that changed the game.

So how did it happen that the Japanese took over the worldwide motorcycle manufacturing industry? To a large extent, it came down to the creation of a single model.

With five consecutive championship titles under their belts, Honda decided to withdraw from the World GP circuit in 1967 with a plan to develop high-performance consumer motorcycles at the forefront of their vision.

While Honda exported more than half of their output back in the mid-60′s, they didn’t make a large-displacement sport bike model which would appeal to the hardcore rider in the U.S.

And it’s not like the honchos at Honda failed to notice that glaring deficiency. Sales of Honda motorcycles in America were flagging in 1966, and the company knew a brand-new worldview was in order. While the company had created the The Dream CB450 in 1965, they were still being outgunned by big bikes from other makers. The CB450 sold well, but for the vast majority of American riders, it just didn’t have the requisite zing and bottom-end torque they craved.

What really drove Yoshiro Harada, the head of Honda product development at the time, was hearing the news that Britain’s Triumph were deep in the development process of a high-performance, 3-cylinder 750 cc engine. With the ante thus upped, Honda laid out plans to compete by creating their own 750 cc engine which would lay down 67 horsepower to overtake the juice you could get from the 66-horsepower Harley-Davidson’s 1300 and the proposed Triumph Triple.

Though Honda was already the industry’s leading maker of motorcycles (due in no small part to the success of the most popular motorcycle in history, the Super Cub) the introduction of the CB750 sought to become the world’s top manufacturer of quality motorcycles as well. They were up against some formidable competition as comparable models from Triumph, BMW, and Harley were already on the road.

So what were the targets? Honda wanted to make a long-range, high-speed touring machine, so they turned to science for answers in the form of a newly-minted paradigm dubbed “ergonomics.”

Those targets included:

Stability at highway cruising speeds
A braking system which was reliable and would handle frequent rapid decelerations from high speeds
Minimal vibration and noise to fight rider fatigue on long hauls with a rider position which complimented the smoother powerplant
Lights and instruments which were large, reliable and gauges which were easy to read
Easy maintenance and servicing for all the various modules of the bike
Use of top-quality materials and production techniques.

Perhaps the biggest innovation for Honda’s showpiece bike? The adoption of disc brakes. While that design decision proved costly and time-consuming, it was also a stroke of brilliance and one which made the CB 750 a favorite of the serious riding set.

Released to the U.S. public in January 1969, the announcement of the new bike’s retail price, $1,495, was met with stunned silence at a dealer meeting in Nevada. The other shoe had officially dropped. Large-displacement bikes were selling at that time for between $2,800 and $4,000, and the 2,000 dealers on hand for the announcement exploded into applause when recovered their wits.

And they had good cause for their optimism. The CB 750 immediately commanded a premium sales price in dealer showrooms of between $1,800 and $2,000 to get one out the door.

Featuring an integrated crankshaft and metal bearing to replace the spilt-type, press-fit crankshaft with a needle bearing used in previous Honda motors, the CB 750 was a great leap forward in design as well as price.

As great as this new machine was, the company initially had a serious problem. They could only manage to make something like five bikes a day, and that was clearly not enough to meet demand for what had become a major hit with the market. Production was pushed to 25 units per day, and then to 100 units, but that still left an enormous pile of back orders building up under and entirely expected sales landslide.

It became clear that the production of the original sand-molded crankcases would never meet the rate requirements of mass production, so the factory switched over to producing crankcases of a metal, die-cast construction. The bikes were such a hit with the riding public that the production of engines and chassis was moved to a Suzuki factory in mid-1971. The “sandcast” CB 750 models are now fetching prices from collectors of some three to four times higher than their new-off-the-line price back in the day.

But what really made the bikes a smash hit with the public?

Performance.

The factory racing team at Honda R&D took the new machines to compete at a 10-Hour Endurance Race in August 1969 to coincide with the commercial launch of the big bike, and Honda dominated, notching one-two finishes with the teams of Morio Sumiya and Tetsuya Hishiki taking first place and Yoichi Oguma and Minoru Sato pulling in a close second.

The deal was done when rider Dick Mann blew away the field on his CB750 during the AMA Daytona 200-Mile Race run during March 1970. The field was now wide open for large-displacement Japanese bikes, and in 1972, Kawasaki launched the 900 cc ZI to compete on the big-bike stage…and the rest is, as they say, history.

Repair Your Own Motorcycle? Is This Better Left to the Pros?

Todd Halterman — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:02:03 +0000

While they’re not the first outfit to offer “Self-Repair” motorcycle shop services, seeing an article about http://motomethod.com/ got me thinking about the idea and the pros and cons of using such a service.

Motomethod, in Vancouver, BC, is open for business and offers individual riders the option of heading over there, reserving a lift, renting tools and machinery and doing their own fabrication or repair jobs with or without the supervision of an expert technician.

While it seems like a great idea and will surely help build up an active motorcycle community in the area around the shop, I can’t help but worry for the guys running the show. There’s liability to be concerned about if anything takes an ugly turn, but I’m sure the guys have thought about – and planned for – that sort of agony.

Motomethod Community Motorcycle Repair Shop in Vancouver, BC Canada, allows individual riders to head to their shop and take care of their own repairs. Bonus? The shop is cool with all makes and models of motorcycles from the shiny and new to the, shall we say, less glossy machines.

Their rates, while pretty close to the kind of numbers you’d pay for service from a trained professional, do seem entirely reasonable. For the price, you get a chance to get your mitts dirty and hang out with some people who like to do the same thing – and you’ve got some professional backup if you get in over your head.
Rates

SERVICE

NON-MEMBER
Shop Rate

Starts at $80
Tune Up

Starts at $50
Oil Change

Starts at $40
Tire Change*

$45
Brake Bleed

Starts at $20
Brake pad installation

Starts at $25
Carb/throttle body sync

Starts at $40
Motomember Bench Rental

$25
Pickup, Delivery & Tow

$60**

* per wheel, includes mounting and balance
** within Vancouver city limits

Memberships

MOTOMETHOD MEMBERSHIP

$100/year

1 year Motomethod membership includes:

• 1 free pick up/ drop off (within Vancouver)
• Free tire changes
• Access to the DIY faculties for $25/hr
• BIG discounts on tires
• Discounts on all parts/ accessories
• Service with a smile!
• $1/ day storage
Contact Details

Hours:Tuesday to Saturday 9am-6pm
Phone:604.568.5578
Address:103-1305 Frances St, Vancouver
Email:info@motomethod.com

So you like to wrench on your own bike? Make sure you have the right motorcycle insurance to cover your losses if you make a mistake like forgetting the Lok-Tite and a wheel comes off while you’re on the highway.
Let’s face it, you like to ride hard and fast and your insurance needs are a little more complicated than those of the average RUB.

We’re here to help you get enough inexpensive motorcycle insurance to make sure your bike stays on the road and running like clockwork…

Cafe Racer TV A Motorcycle Show Home Run

Todd Halterman — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:24:29 +0000

I wasn’t sure I needed yet another custom bike building show. I was pretty convinced the entire genre was played out like M.C. Hammer and Vanilla Ice, but I was just plain wrong on that score.

This week while I sat down for a bit of lunch, I happened to turn on The Discovery Channel in time to catch a couple of episodes of Cafe Racer TV, and it kept me watching long after my ham sandwich was gone.

The show features a mix of bike building and history, some stories from the Midwest about bike shops and their interesting denizens and a few laps around the track at the Barbour Museum.

The part I found most appealing was the show’s entirely successful attempts to give a little rust belt flavor to the subject of The Motorcycle Way. All too often, like all the home improvement and motorcycle builder shows which preceded it, all the action take place in some glitzy and glossy location in California, Florida or Texas, and I’m tired of looking at those places.

Cafe Racer TV is a little different on that score. During the couple half-hour episodes I had the pleasure to watch, the show featured segments shot in Britain (the 59 Club), Chicago, Brooklyn and of all places, Ypsilanti, Michigan.

The production values were exceptional, the interview segments didn’t make me want to hurl into a five gallon bucket of used motor oil, and the bikes were a refreshingly low-rent take on classics and not an advertisement pulled out of the pages of an aftermarket Harley parts catalog.

Nice.

First aired on October 13th on Discovery HD Theater, this tight and telling piece of, and I hesitate to call it this because it does break the mold, “reality teevee” focuses entirely on the history of the café racer and the lifestyles of the wild assortment of motorcycle freaks who build and ride them.

For your time, you get some rare historical footage, rockabilly music and a really fine high-def format which kicked the crap out of stuff like American Chopper. You also get to ride along to various locations as a handful of builders produce some sweet, low rent bikes that were the genesis of modern-day sport and racing machines.

Be sure to get plugged in to http://www.caferacertv.com and make it a point to follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Stuff this good should be rewarded with a little of your time.

Insuring your cafe racer or vintage motorcycle

As for insurance for the cafe racer motorcycle you just reclaimed from the trash and built with your own two mitts? You should be able to get Agreed Value coverage on a classic 1959 BSA Gold Star Catalina valued at $15,000 for somewhere around $25 a month, and that gives you the whole shooting match of coverage.

You can spend a lot less, but if you plan to ride the bikes in your collection, the above pricing is a reasonable approximation of what you can expect to pay.

Memorize Every Part on Your Motorcycle? Not. Then Follow the Road Map, Brother

Todd Halterman — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:42:43 +0000

Every time I work on a bike, particularly when it comes to any kind of electrical stuff, I find myself rustling up a manual.

Now, I know a few guys who have the skills and the experience to take one look at a bike part and tell you, not only what it came off of, but what year it fits. My father in law is that guy, and he and other guys, like Jim Wolf at Allbrands Cycles here in Muskegon, have my complete admiration and I sure like to lean on what they know.

But if I’m going to do it myself (and even if I completely screw things up, I like to do things myself), I head straight for the manual and get the lay of the land before I start hacking on something.

So where do you go when you need to get your hands on a roadmap to guide you through the intricacies of your bike?

You check out a volume from the Motorcycle Library at Alexandria, Clymer Manuals.

Their YouTube channel is a killer, and if you broke it – or it was broken by that ubiquitous jackass, the Previous Owner – James Grooms and his team can find you the book to make things right again if you’re willing to get your hands dirty.

And by the way, thanks James, for finding that manual for my 1999 Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter. That’s my daily rider and it just wouldn’t do for me to mess it up and not have it ready for spring riding season.

The Clymer Manuals website

Clymer on YouTube
Clymer on Twitter @clymermanuals

If you ride them right, insure them right

You can spend a lot less, but if you plan to ride the bikes in your collection, the above pricing is a reasonable approximation of what you can expect to pay.

Bear in mind that some companies don’t provide storage insurance, but they will knock down the annual premium to compete with companies that do offer storage…

Navigating the Motorcycle Parts Jungle

Todd Halterman — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:07:52 +0000

Motorcycles get ridden hard and they’re the subject of more than a little adoration from the non-riding masses – and therein lies the problem.

When you do a lot of riding, you have two elemental issues to deal with; you want your bike to look good going down the road, and you want it to keep going down the road.

There are lots of folks out there who have enough cash to feed their motorcycle habits without turning a wrench, changing a tire or doing their own customization to their machines, and my envy for them borders on bitterness, but if you don’t have an unlimited amount of money to spend on your bike and service for it, you only have one option – find parts and put them on.

With that in mind, we thought it might be a good idea to give people a one-stop shop of sorts to spur ideas for finding the right parts and tools to keep their bikes running in good order.

The kings of the game are, of course, Ebay.com and Craigslist.org, and if you have the time and patience to go those routes, you can find anything you need from oil filters to tire spades to box-it-up and ship it services.

If you’re a little less patient? Try some of these outlets below and get your parts from the professionals:

Bikebandit. It’s amazing how many vintage parts you can find on this gigantic site. They’re all good, and you won’t have any trouble once you’ve put them on your bike.

Motorcycle Superstore. This is the place to go for motorcycle tires. Their prices are always very competitive and they get them to you – fast.

Parts-N-More. If you ride a vintage or classic Japanese bike, use them. They’re located within the friendly borders of our neighboring nation to the north, Canada, but they don’t kill you with shipping, so you might give them a shot.

Stuff You Just Can’t Find – Until Now

Metro Racing. If you’re doing a restoration on a vintage, old school dirt bike, talk to this guy. Cool classic motorcycle clothing and some nice shot of bikes in the bargain.

Airtech Streamlining. Time to head out to Bonneville? You need to move the wind out of your way if you want to enter the Pantheon of Fast, and if it’s made out of fiberglass and cuts through the wind, these guys will sell it to you. The parts don’t come cheap, but what price glory, my friend…

HVC Cycle If you’re a two-stroke sort of guy or gal, get your classic Yamaha and Kawasaki 2 stroke parts here. Build yourself a brand-new Yamaha RD350 – these guys will supply you the parts if you have the money, brother.

Z1 Enterprises. I know, back in the day your first bike was a Kawasaki – because it was faster than stink. If you have a vintage Japanese bike like a Kawasaki Z or KZ model, this is the place to drop some simoleons in search of righteous speed.

JessBikes. Another excellent source for Kawasaki 2-stroke parts, he rules on Ebay and offers an enormous list of parts.

Mikes XS. This is essential the Yamaha Builder’s Bible. Mike’s, the final arbiter of all things XS 650 part-related – has every nut, bolt, tool and part you need to make the ultimate backyard machine. And the prices? Not sure how they do it. Nuff said.

British Only. Oh, but you’re a refined sort and only the finest British machine will do to get you from here to there. Well, they have it all for your BSA, Triumph or Norton.

Other Recommended Motorcycle Parts Suppliers:

Got A Vintage Norton?

George Cohen – www.norton.uk.com – Norton Singles UK

Kirby Rowbotham – www.kirbyrowbotham.com – Norton Twins, UK

Norman White – www.normanwhite.co.uk – Norton Twins, UK

Mick Hemming – www.mickhemmings.co.uk – Norton Twins, UK

Andover Norton – www.andover-norton.co.uk – Norton Spares, UK

A 1972 Yamaha TR3 Eats Everything In Its Way at Track Day

Todd Halterman — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:14:09 +0000

Some bikes were just born to run hard and hot, and the Yamaha TR3 was one of those machines.

Big isn’t always necessarily better, particularly on the steeply-banked track at Daytona International Speedway.

Back in 1972, Don Emde, aboard the 350cc two-stroke Yamaha TR3, wiped out all competition at the Daytona 200 against a field of bikes machines as large as 750cc.

That win marked the first time a two-stroke took the title and remains the smallest bike ever to win the race. It was also the first in the Yamaha string of 13 consecutive wins at Daytona – and that’s still the record. Riding for Team Motorcycle Weekly and Yamaha dealer Mel Dinesen, Emde and the TR3, a production model, was damn near stock for a racing machine. Featuring an extended swingarm, aftermarket seat, an aerodynamic fairing, some tricked up Koni shocks, and a little porting and polishing to the engine, the TR3 came out of the crate very, very fast.

Want to see what one can do?

We’re here for you.

The Broadford Track is the popular name of State Motorcycle Complex in Victoria, Australia and it’s set beside the Hume Freeway about 55 miles from Melbourne. Opened in 1975, the eight tracks at Broadford Road Circuit are 33 feet wide and a serious test of bike and rider.

Watch as this lucky owner takes his TR3 around Broadford for a pair of run in laps – and smokes everything in his path.

During it’s greatest year, 1972, the two-cylinder air-cooled Yamaha TR3 featured innovations like a six-speed transmission, and privateer Yamaha teams notched several wins in 1972.

But all glory is fleeting and the TR3 fell from favor with the advent of water-cooled motorcycles.

Yamaha TR 3 350

Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd., Iwata
Type: Racing, replica Year: 1972
Engine: Yamaha two-cylinder, two-stroke, with cross-port distribution (five transfer ports). Displacement 347.4 cc. (64 mm. x 54 mm.)
Cooling: Air
Transmission: Six-speed block
Power: 54 h.p. at 9,500 r.p.m.
Maximum speed: Over 140 m.p.h.
Chassis: Double cradle, continuous, tubular. Front and rear, telescopic suspension
Brakes: Front, central drum, four shoes, four-cam; rear, central drum

Motorcycle Ice Racing In Michigan – The Coolest Motorcycle Video You’ll See

Todd Halterman — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:09:01 +0000

Muskegon Motorcycle Club Ice Races in Grant, Michigan.

January 22, 2012.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Muskegon Motorcycle Club is one of the oldest continuously operating clubs in the United States, and every year they sponsor a hillclimb event which has gained national renown. The first event, held at Mt. Garfield way back in 1921, drew only a handful of participants and spectators, but by 1951, thanks to local legend Dan Raymond (Muskegon Motorcycle Club founder and president) the event went over the top in more ways than one.

At that event Pete Uebelacker, a vet of National Championship Hill Climbs at Mt. Garfield, took the National Championship. Riding out of Rochester, N.Y., the 39-year-old Uebelacker edged out the field to take the championship trophy.

The hillclimb event ultimately grew to the point where crowds reached an estimated 30,000 spectators during the Golden Era of hillclimbing back in the 1950′s and early 1960′s but was nearly derailed when outlaw biker gangs from Chicago and Milwaukee stormed the area back in 1966. Since then, the National Championship has alternated between Muskegon and York, Pa. and is set to return to Muskegon in 2012.

Since those early days, the MMC has branched out to sponsor a full list of motorcycle events throughout the course of the year, and the lineup now includes a number of ice races.

If you’ve never been to an ice race, you owe yourself the pleasure. It might be cold, but it’s one way to keep the bikes from gathering dust during the long cold winter up north…

Muskegon Motorcycle Club 2012 Event Schedule

JAN 22 DIRT CC ICE SCRAMBLE – JIM ENGLUND
JAN 29 DIRT CC ICE FUN DAY – NO PTS
FEB 19 DIRT CC SNOW SCRAMBLE
APR 29 DIRT CC MX
MAY 6 ROAD OPEN SPRING RUN – CARL MURAT
MAY 12 DIRT CC POKER RUN – JERRYME ENGLUND
MAY 20 ROAD CC BLESSING OF BIKES – RANDY BUTER
JUN 2 ROAD CC MYSTERY MILEAGE
JUN 22 DIRT OPEN DIRT DRAGS
JUN 23 DIRT OPEN FIELD MEET
JUN 23 DIRT OPEN NIGHT HILL CLIMB – JERRYME ENGLUND
JUN 24 DIRT OPEN HILL CLIMB
JUL 13 DIRT OPEN DIRT DRAGS
JUL 14 DIRT OPEN TT
JUL 14 DIRT OPEN DIRT DRAGS
JUL 15 DIRT OPEN HILL CLIMB
JUL 20-22 ALL OPEN BIKE TIME BOOTH
JUL 20-22 ROAD CC BRIDGE RUN-DOUG INGERSOLL
AUG 5 DIRT OPEN PRO HILL CLIMB-BRIAN DOANE
AUG 12 DIRT CC MT G. HILL CLIMB & CLOSING
AUG 18 DIRT CC TT
AUG 19 DIRT CC DIRT DRAGS
AUG 25 ROAD CC HOBO RUN
SEP 14 DIRT OPEN DIRT DRAGS
SEP 15 DIRT OPEN HILL CLIMB
SEP 15 DIRT OPEN DIRT DRAGS
SEP 16 DIRT OPEN STATE CHAMP HILL CLIMB
SEP 22 DIRT CC HARE ’N’ HOUND
OCT 6 ROAD CC COLOR TOUR-NO PTS-RICK PERREAULT
OCT 6 DIRT CC FIELD MEET – JERRYME ENGLUND
OCT 7 DIRT CC TRIALS
OCT 18 OPEN EVENTS MEETING
OCT 25 CLUB ELECTIONS
NOV 3 WORKERS PARTY & AWARDS BNQT
NOV 8 CLUB EVENTS AND RULES MEETING

Whether you ride a sport bike or an American cruiser, your insurance needs can get complicated.

We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you ride…

Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:

Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
Towing / Pickup
Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.

While Some Departments Phase Them Out Motorcycle Cops Are Back in the Game in Toledo

Todd Halterman — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:26:49 +0000

Budget woes and retirements are cutting down the number of officers on the streets across the nation, but in Toledo, Ohio, one arm of the law might be back on the roads soon. Officers riding Harleys, an American tradition in law enforcement currently under siege, could be plying their trade once more.

The Toledo City Council is plans to vote this week on a measure which would give their police department the go-ahead to buy nine motorcycles with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. If the council approves, Toledo will have a police motorcycle patrol once more. The motorcycle unit in that city was disbanded due to budget cuts back in 2004.

With a police department down 140 fewer officers from 2004, Toledo officials say the motorcycle unit will be put to use responding to crimes, policing traffic, and leading funeral and parade processions.

“Before they were used for traffic enforcement and that was it,” said Sgt. Joe Heffernan. “This time it’s going to be different. They’ll be taking calls for service…”

Toledo Police Chief Derrick Diggs added that it’s all about putting a larger police presence on the streets.

“Those motorcycles will help me address one of the major concerns I have from citizens, and that’s police visibility,” Diggs said.

So who’s behind the idea? Toledo Mayor Mike Bell.

Bell is a rider himself, and he says bikes are a tool for policing. According to Bell, motorcycle cops can get to locations a police car can’t, and he added that he likes the gas-saving benefits of using motorcycles for policing.

Not everyone is on board with the idea, however.

Councilman D. Michael Collins called the proposal a waste of money and said grant funds would be better spent on other police equipment like vans and security cameras.

Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, and Akron have motorcycle units on the streets right now.

Toledo finance committee chairman, George Sarantou, likes the idea.